News

24 05 2017 - Media release

26 projects shortlisted from 162 applications for Hot Shots Plus

Screen Australia’s Hot Shots Plus program has received 162 applications from the next generation of screen talent, with 26 projects now shortlisted.

Hot Shots Plus offers an opportunity for emerging practitioners to kick-start their careers by providing production funding for a narrative, short-form proof of concept across all platforms; and development funding to advance it to a low-budget, longer form project.

In total up to $750,000 is available through Hot Shots Plus, comprising a pool of $500,000 in production funding, and up to an additional $250,000 in development funding.

A group of Screen Australia investment managers and industry specialists were brought together for the assessment process, with at least five of the shortlisted projects anticipated to receive funding.

“We were extremely impressed by the number and quality of applications we received for Hot Shots Plus,” said Nerida Moore, Screen Australia’s Senior Development Executive. “Our aim when we revamped the Hot Shots Short Film Fund was to provide a platform-agnostic program, so it was important to enlist a group of assessors who represent all areas of the industry, providing unique perspectives and drawing on a wealth of experience in their individual fields.”

The industry assessors include:

Fadia Abboud - writer/director, community worker and Arab Film Festival co-director. Her credits include web series I Luv U But (producer/director/writer), documentary I Remember 1948 (director) and Here Come the Habibs Season 2 (co-director Episode 8).

Charlie Aspinwall - co-founder, director/producer at Ludo Studio, the International Emmy® award-winning production house behind Doodles (producer, writer) and #7DaysLater (executive producer). Charlie has over 15 years’ experience as a writer/director/producer of drama and documentary for television, including for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in the UK and National Geographic in the US.

Elena Carapetis - actor (Heartbreak High, Dead Europe) and playwright (The Good Son, Gorgon). She is the Resident Artist at State Theatre Company of South Australia, currently adapting Ibsen's A Doll's House for their 2017 season. She is a member of MEAA’s Equity Diversity Committee.

Michael Cody - writer/director/producer and co-founder of the artist and filmmaker collective Flood Projects. His credits include Ruin (writer/director/producer), which was awarded the Venice Film Festival Special Jury Prize and nominated for the Sydney Film Festival Prize, as well as Dumpy Goes to the Big Smoke (producer) and Wish You Were Here (line producer).

John Collee - novelist, screenwriter and creative director at Hopscotch Features. His joint screenwriting credits include this year’s Oscar-nominated Tanna, Oscar-winning Happy Feet, Oscar-winning Master and Commander, and most recently Hotel Mumbai which is currently in post-production.

Khoa Do - writer/director/producer and Australia Council for the Arts board member. His credits include Better Man (writer/director), Schapelle (director) and acclaimed feature The Finished People (writer/director/producer). In 2005 he received the Young Australian of the Year Award for his work with homeless and at-risk youths, refugees and former prisoners.

Mirrah Foulkes - actor (Animal Kingdom, Top of the Lake) and writer/director. Her writer/director credits include the acclaimed short films Florence Has Left the Building, Trespass and Dumpy Goes to the Big Smoke, which received the Best Director Award at Flickerfest, Sydney Film Festival Rouben Mamoulian Award and an AACTA award nomination.

Sophie Miller - writer/director/producer. Her credits include award-winning series The Family Law (producer/director) based on Benjamin Law’s memoirs, Maximum Choppage (producer) and short film Spine (writer/director) which was awarded MIFF Best Australian Short in 2012.

Bali Padda - actor (UNindian, Legally Brown), producer/director and consultant. He is chair of MEAA’s Equity Diversity Committee, working with key industry organisations and producers leading the conversation on issues of diversity and inclusion in Australian performing arts. He is currently developing a comedy series and earlier this year developed a new children's drama series.

Enzo Tedeschi - award-winning producer/writer/director and founder of Deadhouse Films. His credits include web series Event Zero (creator/producer) and Airlock (writer/producer), feature The Tunnel (writer/producer), and feature documentaries Food Matters and Hungry For Change. His latest projects include a feature film reboot of Event Zero (director/producer).

Screen Australia will announce the successful applicants in July 2017.